DIS SponsorThe Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin is located in the heart of the Walt Disney World Reosrt.

I've booked my daughter for a 10:30 a.m. appointment at the Pirates League. I am so excited for her! This will be our first park day, first time doing a.m. extra magic hours, and my daughter's first time getting a make over.

Is a person likely to have more pin options if they've already booked their trip? My schedule is extremely flexible so I can visit pretty much any time in April or May, so I've been holding off on booking until I have a better idea of while deals might be available on which dates, so that I can go on whichever dates offer the best deal/extras. That being said, when I read about people having pins associated with their names and things, it makes me wonder if we'd be better locking in our dates and seeing if we are chosen for a pin. Any advice?

Is a person likely to have more pin options if they've already booked their trip? My schedule is extremely flexible so I can visit pretty much any time in April or May, so I've been holding off on booking until I have a better idea of while deals might be available on which dates, so that I can go on whichever dates offer the best deal/extras. That being said, when I read about people having pins associated with their names and things, it makes me wonder if we'd be better locking in our dates and seeing if we are chosen for a pin. Any advice?

Click to expand...

Honestly? I don't think it makes a bit of difference if you have a trip booked vs. not having one booked in terms of getting a PIN - If you are flexible with your dates and have patience, I would wait until a GP offer comes out - We have been the end of May the last 2 years and there has been one out for that time. Two years ago it was Free Dining and last year it was a % off rooms.

ADR= Advanced dining reservations. You make those for any table service restaurants you want to eat at.

I decided to cancel my package at CSR and booked a 2 bed/2 bath condo offsite. I got a week for $350 so with the money I saved on the room alone we can eat like Kings and still save $$$$. I'll miss onsite but I couldn't pass up the deal.

ADR= Advanced dining reservations. You make those for any table service restaurants you want to eat at.

I decided to cancel my package at CSR and booked a 2 bed/2 bath condo offsite. I got a week for $350 so with the money I saved on the room alone we can eat like Kings and still save $$$$. I'll miss onsite but I couldn't pass up the deal.

ADR= Advanced dining reservations. You make those for any table service restaurants you want to eat at.

I decided to cancel my package at CSR and booked a 2 bed/2 bath condo offsite. I got a week for $350 so with the money I saved on the room alone we can eat like Kings and still save $$$$. I'll miss onsite but I couldn't pass up the deal.

Same here! I've always sworn I would never stay offsite, but our last trip (Nov 27th-Nov 4th) I was able to rent a one bedroom villa just one mile off Disney property for just $400.00. We had so much room to spread and the price was alot less than what a Value resort would have been, even using the AP discount. We had a much nicer resort and saved tons of money too, but at the same time was just miutes from the Disney gates.

Today I found that I could rent a one bedroom at Wyndham Bonnet Creek from an owner for just $89.60 a night for my May trip. That's cheaper than what the AP discounts have been running at a Value resort. I planned on getting a rental car anyway and have an AP, so would not have to pay for parking at the parks and don't care for the DDP anyway. Let's see: a fully equipped kitchen, washer/dryer, living room, dining area, seperate bedroom with a king bed, two TVs, a jacuzzi tub, balcony, nicer pools with hot tubs, slides, and two lazy rivers, still within the WDW grounds for the same price as an AP discounted value resort. Plus I wouldn't have to worry if any discounts are coming out for my trip. Seems like a no brainer.

We got all the ADRs and times we wanted too, yay! Definitely eating at a lot of places this time: Boatwright's, Brown Derby, Mythos (on the dark side!), Artist Point, Via Napoli, Victoria & Albert's, Garden View Tea (our only repeat), Flying Fish, and Kona (twice! breakfast and dinner, although recent reviews of the new dinner menu have me considering other options...).

Last time my husband I went four years ago, we were really trying to save money and not spend much. We only ate at a few restaurants (California Grill, Biergarten, Garden View Tea), and brought sandwiches the rest of the time. We stayed off-site and drove, and it definitely saves a lot of money! However, this time we're looking forward to not pinching our pennies the whole time and seeing what it's really like to stay on-site for the first time! I wish it could come sooner, but then I'd be sad when it was gone!

I'm also hoping that there won't be a heat wave in early May like there was when we last went four years ago. Guess we'll see!

We got all the ADRs and times we wanted too, yay! Definitely eating at a lot of places this time: Boatwright's, Brown Derby, Mythos (on the dark side!), Artist Point, Via Napoli, Victoria & Albert's, Garden View Tea (our only repeat), Flying Fish, and Kona (twice! breakfast and dinner, although recent reviews of the new dinner menu have me considering other options...).

Last time my husband I went four years ago, we were really trying to save money and not spend much. We only ate at a few restaurants (California Grill, Biergarten, Garden View Tea), and brought sandwiches the rest of the time. We stayed off-site and drove, and it definitely saves a lot of money! However, this time we're looking forward to not pinching our pennies the whole time and seeing what it's really like to stay on-site for the first time! I wish it could come sooner, but then I'd be sad when it was gone!

I'm also hoping that there won't be a heat wave in early May like there was when we last went four years ago. Guess we'll see!

Click to expand...

I keep saying we are going to give the Tea room a try, and we never fit it in. If you are repeating it, it must be really nice. Maybe this trip we will do it!

We always go at the end of May, and this past year was sooooo much cooler than it usually is. Hoping you get some of that for your trip!!